Carder Bee

The name 'carder' is after the females bees behaviour of scraping off plant hairs like thistledown, which is combed from the plant by using special rows of hairs on their legs and this is carried back to the nest in a ball held under the body. They use it as lining for their nest cavities. They build these nests in existing holes in timber, masonry, soil, wood piles, buildings or plant stems.